Migration Department to again decide on asylum for Russian journalist

Lithuania's Supreme Administrative Court on Tuesday satisfied the claim by Russian journalist Yevgeni Titov who was refused asylum in Lithuania, authorizing the Migration Department to reconsider the foreigner's asylum application.

Titov, who came to Lithuania from Krasnodar in late 2016, has said he was afraid to stay in Russia after facing pressure from the authorities over his activities.

The Migration Department in February refused to grant asylum to the Russian journalist, saying that his fears were objectively unsubstantiated. In June, a Vilnius court rejected his appeal against the department's decision on the same grounds.

The journalist turned to the Lithuanian Supreme Administrative Court over the decision. After the story drew attention from Lithuanian politicians, Interior Vice-Minister Giedrius Surplys admitted “certain misunderstandings” involved in Titov's asylum decisions.